Our Staff

Rabbi Marc S. Sack has been the Rabbi of Congregation Rodeph Sholom since August 1995. Prior to coming to Tampa, Rabbi Sack served at Congregation Agudas Achim in Austin, Texas from 1985 to 1995. He began his career as Assistant Rabbi at Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis. Rabbi Sack was ordained in 1982 at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, which is affiliated with the Conservative Movement. That same year, he also received a Masters of Science in Social Work from Columbia University. Rabbi Sack graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1975. He hails from Hartford, Connecticut where much of his family still lives. Rabbi Sack and his wife Leni have four children.

Cantor Moshe Friedler has been the Cantor of Congregation Rodeph Sholom since August 1989. Prior to coming to Tampa, Cantor Friedler served as the cantor at Temple Aliyah in Los Angeles, Temple Beth Moshe in North Miami and Congregation Beth El in Mexico City. He has written and produced many Jewish musicals in Argentina, Mexico and the United States. Cantor Friedler has given concerts throughout South and Central America, Israel and the United States. He is famous for his Yiddish interpretations and is known by the critics as "the Master of the Yiddish Song." Cantor Friedler was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied music at the Music Conservatory and graduated from the Seminary of Jewish Teachers. He also graduated from the Cantorial Seminary in Buenos Aires where he became a cantor at the age of 18. He graduated from the Manhattan School of Cantors in New York City in 1971.

Judy Van Der Stelt has been the Director of Education, Youth & Family programs at Congregation Rodeph Sholom since 2001. Prior to her current position, Judy also served as the director of youth & family programs, and as a teacher for the Religious School at Rodeph Sholom. Before coming to Tampa, Judy taught Sunday School at Congregation Olam Tikvah in Fairfax, Virginia, and was a Sunday School teacher and USY & Kadima advisor for Congregation Beth Abraham in Dayton, Ohio. Judy received her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Planning & Administration from Pennsylvania State University, and is also a graduate of Gratz College in Philadelphia. She is a board member of the Tampa Bay Jewish Educators Council and a member of the Coalition for Alternatives in Jewish Education. Judy is originally from Philadelphia. She and her husband, Jay, have three children.

Iris Ruth Pastor is the new-kid-on-the-block – becoming Program Director in January, 2007. Iris hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, where her previous position was managing editor of “The American Israelite,” the oldest English Jewish weekly newspaper in America. Concurrently, she was also editor of “AI Style,” a bi-monthly Jewish lifestyle magazine. Prior to this, Iris was a slice-of-life syndicated columnist for 20 years and a radio talk show host. A published author, she also speaks publicly on a wide range of inspirational and motivational topics. Her motto is “Keep Coping” and her vision for Congregation Rodeph Sholom is “preserving the bloom” through innovative programming and engaging membership protocols. Iris graduated from University of South Florida with a major in both mass communications and sociology. She and her husband, Steven, have five sons and two grandchildren.